Full Transcript

Sari 0:00
Welcome to your Food Business Success! This podcast is for early stage entrepreneurs in the packaged food industry ready to finally turn that delicious idea into reality. I'm your host Sari Kimbell. I have guided hundreds of food brand founders to success as an industry expert and business coach. And it's gotta be fun. In this podcast, I share with you mindset tools to become a true entrepreneur and run your business like a boss, interviews with industry experts to help you understand the business you are actually in, and food founder journeys so you can learn what worked and didn't work and not feel so alone in your own journey. Now, let's jump in!

Sari 0:46
Hello, welcome back to the podcast. Oh, my gosh, you guys. I'm recording this on the Monday after I got back from Sedona, Arizona. If you guys listen to podcasts regularly, you know, I was going in August, and even one of the podcasts was like recorded ahead of time, like yeah, I'm going and then I got COVID. And so I was fortunately able to reschedule and was able to go in September. And it was amazing. Really, truly amazing. I'm still processing but just some highlights, so I went to a place called Sedona, Mago, and it's based in Taoism, which I honestly was not very familiar with at all. I remember reading that book a long time ago, was very popular, The Tao of Pooh with Winnie the Pooh. And that was really all I knew, a little bit about it, that I learned in high school. And I mean, first of all, Sedona is such a gorgeous place. It was one of those things where I just Googled, like meditation retreat, and I found the right combination of location, you know, easy, relatively easy to get to, the cost was pretty low, not some ridiculous, you know, $4,000 for a four day retreat or something. So I highly recommend that if you were looking for an experience like that, you know, Taoism is based around nature. And I didn't, I really was very clueless. But this particular group is based around a Korean tradition of Taoism and Ilchi Lee is the founder of this, and it was really cool. I mean, the property was insane. It was amazing. And there's all these vortexes there of like this high concentration of energy. And they just did a really nice job. I mean, you it is, it's a little bit of a track to get there. It was like three shuttles, three different shuttles from the airport, and 11 miles on this, like washboard back road to get there, but once you're there, oh my gosh, right? It was just incredible. And I was there. I mean, again, I just like Google this, and then I, you know, totally ended up going on a different weekend than I thought I was gonna go. So it just, it's one of those when you just let the universe kind of do its thing. And then you just get plopped into this most amazing place at the right time.

Sari 3:46
And it was the full moon, a super moon. So one of the largest full moons of the year. And then just the people that I was with, you know, I was originally going to go with my stepmom, and she wasn't able to come with me in September. So I went by myself and I was like a mini little panic attacks before I laugh just about like, not about being alone, but just like, I don't know what I'm doing and who's gonna be there and will I be able to eat the foods that I like, and you know, some of the things that always come up for me when I'm doing hard things, right? Things outside of my comfort zone.

Sari 4:28
So you guys, it's not just you, it happens to me too. And I have all these tools and I got coaching, but I was totally like, oh my gosh, I might you know, just feeling uncomfortable, right? Going to this place, and are my needs gonna be met, and is it going to be a good experience, and so working through that. Anyway, it was amazing. The food was delicious. It was all vegetarian. They had some fish but very well prepared. They do a lot of growing and farming there. And so it was really cool. You know, just I actually like picked a pomegranate off of a tree, which I had never even seen a pomegranate tree before. And ate that, it was so cool. You're like eating these amazing crazy dates off this tree, you know me and food, I love it. And, and just the things that I experienced and did and it wasn't traditional meditation like, I didn't really know what to expect, but I just assumed we'd be like sitting there for hours. But Taoism, especially this form from Korea is very body-mind connected. And so you do a lot of physical things. It's like, if you think about Tai Chi, almost a little bit like that. So we were like doing lots of movement, and then holding poses and being really uncomfortable, right? When you're holding some crazy pose for a long time. And you think this is like, I was thinking about you guys, and just about entrepreneurship in general, I was like, oh, my gosh, this is resilience training 101, when you're like, hold this pose really uncomfortably, like at first you're like, okay, and then you're like, I really want to put my arms down so badly, but you just keep going. And then, you know, eventually when you finally get to release your arms the like, I mean, first of all, but you know, just the release of like, the contrast and feeling that, it feels so great. But also just the accomplishment and the pride of like, I held that like that was badass, that was hard. And we but doing some of those physical things to like get your body ready and tap into these other like, it really helped me to get rid of the mind chatter and to go so much deeper than I ever. You know, I'm a very amateur meditator right now. Until those trip, I guess. So it was amazing. And my we had a small group of people and they were great. And I really connected with some of them. And so shout out to my group there with Sherry and Cree, and Richard, and Ruth, and Lois and Linda, they were just amazing! Amazing to get to know them at mealtime and have that experience together. A couple of other just quick, amazing things that I did at this retreat. We did do a kind of a Moon Meditation one night with the the big moon coming up, which was so cool to just be surrounded by these like red rocks of the Sedona desert, and then the super moon. And just being outside under the stars. You know, that's one thing I realized living in the city as I do, I just I don't see stars like that very often. And it was just clear and beautiful. It was really truly magical. We did a, the next day we did a sunrise meditation. And it was incredible because the night before we did the moon, and then the moon was still up, and then the sun coming up over the red rocks. And we were on this like upper. I mean, the stages and the things that they have made on this property are just incredible. So we were up on this, like beautiful landing that looked out over the whole valley. And did this morning meditation that was physical, and then you were kind of like taking in all of the energy and the warmth from the sun. It was just truly incredible. And then one of the most powerful, impactful things was this 120 steps. And Ilchi Lee, the founder of this Tao Fellowship in this property, I guess I have a couple of other registered meditation retreat locations around the world as well. But he has this book, he's a lot of books, but something about living to 120. So when you walk it, so there's you know, all these steps and each step has a number and gold on the very right hand corner. And you basically like you enter this this landing platform first and that is like you're in your mother's womb. And so each step represents a year in your life, and he wants to live to be 120. So 120 steps. And you just, you kind of take a breath, you know, set an intention, and then you go through your life and I get emotional thinking about it, it was, it was an incredible experience. And there, and I did it with my group, right? And so one person was maybe in front of you a few steps and one was behind. And you know, depending on your life experiences, you, you might find yourself on one particular year, just sobbing. And I know, there was definitely some for me, you know, the day, the year, my dad passed away, I hung out on that, that 35th step for a very long time, just sobbing. But there were just, there were so many, there were some steps that were like, easy, breezy, and like really happy. Like, oh, I remember this, I remember that. And then some where you just, it was like, your heart was just being ripped open. But it was this like, really safe, beautiful space. And just to like, feel it and for me that the intention was around healing, and like letting go. Sorry, I get this. Like, it was so emotional, it was an incredible experience. If you can just imagine, I mean, I, you guys know, I talked about, you know, how many days left do you have till you die and like appreciating what you have here and what's ahead of you, but I don't know, it was just so powerful processing your life up to date. And kind of going through some of those memories and those years that were very, you know, affected you significantly and shaped who you are today, and then pausing on your current year. And so I, you know, it was very interesting going, you know, everything past and then stopping on 47. For me, if you can just imagine, wherever you are in there. And just, you know, everything behind you like, okay, that was all part of my life, that was all meant to be. That was all what helped make me who I am today and feeling even though some of those years were, you know, extremely emotional, like just being grateful and realizing that those are just part of you, and part of who you are now. And then, okay, here I am now today at this age. And then it was just wild, the future part of it, right? And you can kind of, you know, start seeing like, okay, what's possible? What do I want to create? Who do I want to be?

Sari 13:16
You know, when I got to my 50th birthday, like, you're 50 I have really big plans for that year for doing some incredible trips and celebrations and certain people and so just being, you know, spending a little time sort of imagining that and I hope, you know, somebody just came across my mind is like, if you look ahead to your future, and you're not that excited about it, or you're like, oh, I don't know, it's probably just gonna look the same as it is today. I would ask you to question that and start doing some of this deeper work. Because I want you to be excited about what's ahead of you. I mean, I was like, whoa, this is like, it was pretty mind blowing, like seeing everything that was ahead of me now. I don't know. So I want to I think I'll live till 120. But, you know, I've kind of said like 85 is probably like, quality of life somewhere in there, right? But and then as I was, you know, taking more and more steps, and then as I kind of got into like my 60s, and I was like who am I going to be then? I was like, I'm just gonna be like, I can't I'm just gonna be bold and I can do whatever I want. Say whatever I want. I can just be happy, like be happy all the time and not really give a crap what anybody else thinks. And I just had this vision of myself right around like kind of those 60s, late 60s, 70s. And after I was done, I was like, why can't, why do I have to wait 23 years? Like, why can I start embodying some of that now, right? What? Like, it really was very visceral, like, what am I? Why am I gonna wait till I'm 70 to be that way or to embrace life that way? No, I want that now. I want to start being that person now. So that was an incredible, incredible experience. And then we took this hike, Master Daniel, thank you, Master Daniel, he, it was a little bit of a different kind of weekend because a lot of the masters were apparently out at this conference. And so Master Daniel had a little bit more free time than I think he normally does for our group. And so we took this extra little hike up to this red rock mountain. And it had this, I mean, the storms were going on all around us. And there's like three different storms, lightning and thunder, but like not, we weren't getting wet at all. And we hiked up to this ridge, and it overlooked. And one of my big things that I really came with the intention to open up was this concept of, like, be Sari. And like, I think a lot of times I, I censor myself, you guys might be like, really? You have a podcast or YouTube channel. But I kind of feel like I have to, like put on a certain persona, right? And I was like, I just want to be more me. I want to like say what I really want to say. I want to ask for what I really need. I feel like a lot of times emotion gets stuck in my throat, which is also if you if you're into like the meditation piece is like chakras and it's your throat chakra. And things open up in my heart, but then they get kind of stuck in that. In that chakra there in the throat. And I and that's also where the ego is, right? Where you're worried about what other people will think of you. You're worried about how you're gonna think of you, your own achievements, and things like that. So that was a lot of my work over that weekend. And so I was telling Master Daniel that earlier, I think the day before, so when we got up to the ridge, he was like Sari, I want you to, we're gonna yell. I was like, because I told him I was like, I went up to this other area and I just wanted to scream and like, yell something. I was like, but I was really worried about bothering somebody. And so he's like, like all of us as a group, we all just shouted the top of our lungs. And we did it three times. And then he had me do an extra one. And it was just so freeing, and so amazing. So anyway, it was just a truly phenomenal experience. They have a documentary that someone did about this place called Love Heals. And we watched the documentary, I don't know, I was going to look and see, I'm guessing you can probably find it on Amazon or like Prime or something, I'll try to find and put the link in the show notes. So if you're curious, but a lot of this is about this brain-body connection and healing your body. There's through balancing your energy and whatnot, we didn't get too much into that this was a more kind of general. General exploratory meditation retreat weekend. But the documentary was really phenomenal. So if you're curious and want to see more about this place, there you go. So I just wanted to share with you a little bit about my experience, I'm sure more will come up in future episodes as I processes more.

Sari 18:53
But what I want to talk to you about today came from at the very end of that experience. And it's something I just, it's like, it got into my consciousness. So I've been noticing it, of course, right? Articular activating system that when you think, you know, blue Ford pickup, all you see are blue Ford pickups everywhere, right? When you start looking for that particular car. So when you start, when I started noticing this, or we were talking about it, and then I was noticing it everywhere. I was like, oh, this is, this is good. This is a really good topic to tackle with you guys about. So, of course last day or at the end of the retreat. And we're talking about like integrating it and what you know, all of us are like but we want to take it, you know, how do we take the magic and the peace and the strength and everything from this weekend and take it into our everyday lives, and how do you incorporate it when you're working, and you're doing all those things, right? And so Master Daniel was like, saying things like, you know, I want to, I want to do this every day, I want to do this meditation practice or do this exercise every day. I'm going to, I want to and so he was kind of pulling things from us of like what we were saying we wanted, right? And if we think about, like, the words that we're using, what he was getting to was, you know, I'm going to try. I'll try. I'll try to bring this and incorporate it, I want to try. I'm going to, right? Like, he said, no, there is no try. There is no going to, there is no hope. He said, what if you say instead, I choose to continue this work. I choose to bring in as meditation practice, or whatever it is. And it's so true, right? Just think about how those words feel in your body. And I was looking up some quotes and things about this. And of course, the great Yoda, right? There is no try, there is only doing or not doing. But I think we throw try around so much. And that's why I called this episode, Stop Trying. Because my clients and members tell me all the time, okay, I'm going to try that. I'm going to try to do that, I'm going to try to do the Power Five, I'm going to try to contact these buyers, I'm going to try to do a reel. And just in that very word, even though the word itself by the dictionary definition is like, you know, it's like a worthy attempt. It's an effort, you're trying something like that, in and of itself isn't where the problem is in the definition. But when I even think about I'm going to try that, there's an inherent, an inherent failure in that. It's like, we're already imagining that we try but we fail. That there's like a hesitation there. Like, do you guys feel that when you say like, I'm going to try to do, let's just say a Badass 30, a discipline challenge, I'm going to try to do that. Versus I am doing it or I am choosing to do that. I am committed to doing that. So then we were talking about it, and when Master Daniel and he said, you know, using those words, like I choose to do this. And then there needs to be action behind it. And that's really where my whole jam is, right? That's where I love coming in and offering my tools and, and oh my gosh, this workshop is so good. I just finished it. I'm giving it live.

Sari 23:14
You guys listen to this, I will have already given it live. But those are the tools of the actual doing, right? But first, we have to get away from this word try. This is a nasty little word. Imagine like, there's a little fence in front of you. And you're like, I'll try to step over it. Literally by the word try is like you're going to put your foot up to it, you're going to kind of put it over it, but you're never actually going to step over it. Because that would actually be doing it. Instead try naturally just implies that you're going to try but not actually do it. So might you be really onto yourself, where do you catch yourself using this word try? Because then I was in the the gift shop after. And I like I said I kept hearing it. So there was another group there. A whole woman's group was there that weekend and somebody was in the gift shop talking to an employee and an employee was like, yeah, you can to take back like all this that you learned and you know, implement some of it. And she was like, yeah, I really want to, I really want to try. And I was like, where would you place your bet on that, right? If somebody says, I'll try to implement that or I'll try a Badass 30 or I'll try. I'll try to go in and pick you up or I'll try to meet you there at that party or I'll try to make it to that thing. It's almost codeword for not really gonna happen, right? I would not put my money on somebody was like, I'll try to go to that party. Like, okay, I'll see you next time. Probably not, right? My money would not be on that that person showing up at that party.

Sari 25:25
And I want to be able to put my money down on you, I want you to put your money down on you. So when you're thinking about your goals, and we are in the middle, this month has been all about getting ready for our 90 Day goal sprint, for the last 90 days of the year to go big to achieve bigger possibility than we ever knew was even available to us. I want to help you not just achieve the like, yeah, I could get there. We're gonna go after something crazy, something wild, something that excites you and motivates you. If we're just like, yeah, I can get that done, no problem. We're not gonna really put in the effort that's required to get us to bigger things, to get us to evolve and get to the next level. So there is no try in this. And that's what I'm helping you at this month in Food Business Success is getting ready to really turn it on, and do it, have the plan. That's what we did in this workshop is give you a plan to work on. And it's not too late. If you are like oh my gosh, I missed out on that. Come join us in Food Business Success, you will get the replay. We have power hours, we have monthly check ins, we're gonna keep going. But this is how we turn the trying into doing. By getting accountability, by getting the know how, the knowledge by getting a plan and a process, putting it on our calendar, and then no more try. No more I'll try to make it to the gym or I'll try to do a social media post. I do it. I choose to do that social media posts and it is as good as done. I want you to have that level of confidence and belief in yourself. If you're not there, come join us. Heck, what are you waiting for? It's amazing! Fuel, our community inside is amazing. And we are getting some big things accomplished, growing businesses creating a business and a life that you love. I am committed to that. I am choosing to show up, not trying to show up for you. I am choosing to show up. As the coach, as the mentor, the expert that you need to help get you to the next level. Let's banish that word try. We will follow Master Daniel had to say and what Yoda many years earlier said stop trying, just start doing. Commit to doing this no matter what. Never give up. You can do this. And who cares if it takes you a little bit longer? Just stick with it. Keep going. Choose to do it and start taking action. All right until next time, have an amazing week!

Sari 28:45
The smartest thing you can do as an entrepreneur is to invest in a who to help you with the how to speed up your journey and help you skip the line. When you are ready for more support and accountability to finally get this thing done, you can work with me in two ways. Get me all to yourself with one on one business coaching or join Food Business Success which includes membership inside Fuel, our community of food business founders that includes monthly live group coaching calls and so much more. It's one of my favorite places to hang out and I would love to see you there. Go to foodbizsuccess.com to start your journey towards your own Food Business Success.